Virtual Carter to address Democratic convention

Former President Jimmy Carter will deliver a videotaped address to be aired at next month’s Democratic National Convention, party officials announced Tuesday.

Mr. Carter’s speech will be broadcast in primetime on Sept. 4, the second night of the four-day convention. Democratic officials said the address will focus on providing “unique insights about President Obama as a global leader.”

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The 39th president said in a statement he and wife Rosalynn Carter will be unable to attend the convention in person in Charlotte, but that they “remain steadfast in [their] support for President Obama and the process he will make in the next four years.”

Mr. Carter, 87, has been a frequent target for Republicans who have attempted to draw parallels between his presidency — which was defined largely by the nation’s economic struggles, an energy crisis and foreign policy setbacks in Iran and Afghanistan — and that of Mr. Obama.

The former president has remained popular with many Democrats, including DNC Chair Antonio Villaraigosa, who praised him as a “lifelong champion of human rights and investments in education and energy to spur economic development.”